In Extremadura there are more than 200,000 hectares dedicated to irrigated crops, thanks to the extensive network of dams and canals in the Guadiana River basin and to a lesser extent in the Tagus basin. From the birds’ point of view, the most interesting irrigated crops are maize and rice, especially in winter. Once these crops are harvested, between October and November, the birds mainly take advantage of the leftover grain that remains in the stubble after the harvest. Furthermore, the rice fields remain flooded during most of the winter, becoming attractive shallow-water wetlands, which are why they are home to important populations of birds, both in terms of abundance and diversity.
Among the birds associated with irrigated crops, the wintering populations of Common Crane, Black-tailed Godwit, Lesser Black-backed and Black-headed Gulls, Glossy Ibis, Grey and Squacco Herons, Cattle, Little and Great White Egrets, White Stork, Greylag Goose, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler and Northern Lapwing stand out.
Among the waders, the numbers of Common Curlew, Black-winged Stilt, Common and Spotted Redshanks, Common Greenshank, European Golden Plover, Common Snipe and Ruff are important. Among the birds of prey, the populations of Western Marsh and Hen Harriers stand out, and they usually roost in rice fields, Black-winged Kite, Common Buzzard, Red Kite, Merlin and Short-eared Owl. There are SPAs designated exclusively to protect birds in this habitat, such as Arrozales de Palazuelo and Guadalperales, Vegas del Ruecas, Cubilar and Moheda Alta and Llanos de Zorita and Embalse de Sierra Brava.
